The NFL free agency season is underway and we’re already seeing big moves happening across the league. With dozens of the top veterans finding new homes, fans are itching to know which teams emerged as winners and which ones dropped the ball after the first wave of activity. From the New York Jets potentially landing Aaron Rodgers, to the New England Patriots signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, to Jordan Love taking the reins in Green Bay, there’s a lot to keep track of. But not everyone came out on top, with some teams struggling to fill key positions and secure the right talent. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the winners and losers from the first week of NFL free agency.
Important Details about Giants, Jets among early victors for developments at QB –
– The first week of 2023 NFL free agency has seen big-name deals and many veterans finding new homes.
– The Jets are winners of the first week, with the possibility of getting a proven quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
– New England’s offensive moves have been questionable, including signing JuJu Smith-Schuster for $25 million instead of incumbent target Jakobi Meyers for $33 million.
– Jordan Love is a winner because the Packers are essentially his team now, with a chance for a big-money extension.
– Ron Rivera is a loser because he has never fielded a sustainable winner under center, and the trend appears to continue.
– Daniel Jones is a winner as the Giants have added more playmakers to support him.
– The TE and EDGE markets are losers, with few ascending Pro Bowl-caliber vets available.
– Sean Payton is a winner for bolstering the Broncos’ trenches on both sides of the ball.
– The Chiefs are a loser as they still have a WR hole to fill with JuJu Smith-Schuster’s departure.
– Chicago, Philadelphia, and Carolina have made both good and questionable moves during the first week of free agency.
The First Week of 2023 NFL Free Agency Wrap-Up: Winners and Losers
The first week of the NFL free agency is nearly in the books, and it has been a whirlwind of deals and signings. The official league year didn’t start until Wednesday, but big-name deals have been pouring in since Monday. Dozens of the top veterans available have found new homes, and teams have been shuffling their lineups and making major moves to try to improve their chances for the next season. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the winners and losers from the first week of free agency.
Winner: New York Jets
The Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas was looking for a proven quarterback, and it looks like he might have found one in Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has publicly stated that he wants to play for the Jets, and although he is currently under contract with the Green Bay Packers, the Packers do not have much leverage now that Rodgers has revealed the team is ready to move on. The Jets may have to pay a premium price for Rodgers, but at the end of the day, they are poised to get what they wanted all along: a franchise QB for a playoff-caliber lineup.
Loser: New England Patriots
New England’s moves offensively have been less than impressive. Signing James Robinson for $4M per year (roughly top-16 RB money) after his flat 2022 campaign is questionable, especially with Rhamondre Stevenson headlining their already-competent backfield. Their investment in Bengals and Bears castoff Riley Reiff as a likely starting tackle is also a head-scratcher. The signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster for $25 million instead of $33M for incumbent target Jakobi Meyers reads like a lateral move for a more injury-prone player.
Winner: Jordan Love
The Packers are his team now, and Love has a chance to earn his own big-money extension by showcasing his live arm in Matt LaFleur’s offense. A-Rod himself basically deemed Love a worthy successor while addressing his 2023 plans this week.
Loser: Ron Rivera
Barring a blockbuster move up for a QB in the draft, Ron Rivera, Washington’s coach, will enter his fourth season as the coach of Washington, simply extending a marriage to middling veteran signal-callers. From Alex Smith to Ryan Fitzpatrick to Carson Wentz to Taylor Heinicke, Rivera has never fielded a sustainable winner under center, and the trend appears destined to continue.
Winner: Daniel Jones
The Giants are really betting on their medical staff this year, but if players stay healthy, it should give Jones more confidence since he showed much improvement from last season. The young QB has more playmakers at his disposal, not to mention a big raise courtesy his own $160M extension.
Loser: The TE and EDGE markets
Pass rushers typically help set the tone for free agency, but only Marcus Davenport topped $10M per year this week, and he settled for a relatively team-friendly one-year, $13M deal with the Vikings. At tight end, meanwhile, the Vikings curiously committed $7M per year to backup Josh Oliver, but not even that inflated deal has revved up a free-agent pool still featuring unsigned starters like Dalton Schultz, although Mike Gesicki did reportedly sign a one-year deal with the Patriots on Friday.
Winner: Sean Payton
The Broncos’ new coach has wisely poured lots of money into the team’s infrastructure, spending top dollar to bolster the trenches on both sides of the ball. Ascending ex-Cardinals prospect Zach Allen should fit in nicely as the centerpiece of the D-line, meanwhile, and ex-Raiders backup Jarrett Stidham is a sneakily high-upside emergency option behind Wilson.
Loser: Kansas City Chiefs
The early goings of free agency haven’t necessarily been promising for the Chiefs. Although they were probably right to back down from Orlando Brown Jr.’s demands, spending $80M on Jawaan Taylor, who was uneven during his Jaguars tenure, might not have been the best move.
Other teams such as Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers have made some interesting moves, and it remains to be seen how those moves will play out in the coming seasons.
Conclusion
The first week of the NFL free agency has brought about both winners and losers, with some teams making savvy moves, while others are left scratching their heads. As the rest of the free agency period unfolds, it will be interesting to see how each team forms their ideal lineup for the upcoming season.